You Need Him, I Could Be Him
by mybleedingromance
Summary: Puck sighs knowing that three months ago, he had been right. Puck sighs knowing that three months ago he could’ve stopped this before it even started. Puck sighs knowing that he has to fix it, and he might not be able to.
1. Chapter 1

My new story. Three or four chapters after this. Tell me how you like it. Lyrics (bold) from 'Grand Theft Autumn' by Fall Out Boy, property of Fall Out Boy. Characters from Glee, property of FOX.

**Prologue**

**Where is your boy tonight?  
I hope he is a gentleman.  
Maybe he won't find out what I know:  
you were the last good thing about this part of town.**

So many things led to this moment. Thousands of words, several arguments, and countless things left unsaid. So many unanswered questions and unquestioned answers. There was singing, dancing, laughing, and crying. Smiles and broken promises, sobs and empty words. The moment is wrong; Puck can feel it in his bones. He exits through the same door he saw Kurt leave through. The boy is sitting on one of the many planters outside of the gym. Puck sits next to him, "So, where is your boy tonight?"

Kurt shrugs. His eyes are blank and sad. He doesn't seem surprised, and Puck isn't either. Kurt whispers, "I don't know."

Puck sighs knowing that three months ago, he had been right. Puck sighs knowing that three months ago he could've stopped this before it even started. Puck sighs knowing that he has to fix it, and he might not be able to.

All these things led to this moment. And there was only one person to blame.


	2. Chapter 2

Worth the wait? That's for you to decide. On the darker side of my imagination. Hope you enjoy it. Review it. Let me know.

**Chapter 1**

**When I wake up,  
I'm willing to take my chances on  
the hope I forget  
that you hate him more than you notice  
I wrote this for you**

Rumors were buzzing like bees in the hallways of McKinley High. Supposedly, there was a new kid, and not just any new kid. This kid had, allegedly, been expelled from four different school districts, been to juvie eleven times, killed his own mother, and robbed banks all over the Midwest. Granted, maybe not all of the rumors were true, but what's to say some of them weren't? Puck, for one, wasn't impressed. The new kid was probably some punkass kid making up stories to seem cool. The rumors didn't stop in the halls, but carried into the choir room. Confirmed sources said he was a junior, which was why no one had shared any classes with him. Nothing else had been confirmed at the moment, but Santana and Brittney were digging for as much information as possible. Mr. Schuester called for them to settle down and warm up their voices. After warm ups, they started into Hello Goodbye. As they were really getting into it, the choir room door opened. They all stopped singing, except for Rachael.

"Oh, don't stop on my account." The boy smiled. He was tall, toned, and a little on the rough side. His jeans were torn and his shirt was old and ratty. His hair was a well-sculpted mess, and he had a smile that made all the girls in the room, including Kurt, blush bright red.

Mr. Schuester raised an eyebrow at him, "Can I help you?"

"Nobody can," He shook Mr. Schuester's hand, smirking. Everyone stared wide-eyed and started whispering. "Mr. Schuester, I presume. I'm Travis. I'm new here."

Mr. Schuester looked confused, "Okay, Travis, you're here to try out for glee?"

"Yea. My parole officer said I need to do extracurriculars, and that I had a good voice, so I should try glee club." Travis looked at the glee clubbers, "Plus, technically, I'm not allowed to play sports. Too violent, you know?"

"No…I don't. Well, show us what you got then." Mr. Schuester said, stepping back to allow him to take the center of the room. He stepped up to the middle of the room and made eye contact with every single person as he sang. He was good. Not Finn or Jesse good, but he was on par with Puck, or even Artie.

When he finished, they, the girls that is, applauded loudly. Mr. Schuester smiled, "Looks like we have another new member."

"Wait Mr. Schuester, first Jesse, then this kid," Puck looked him over, "We have too many guys. We outnumber the girls."

"I'll gladly be a girl. That evens it out. Sort of." Kurt smiled, "Besides, everyone who tries out for glee makes it, right Mr. Schue?"

"Very true Kurt." Mr. Schuester nodded at him. He turned to Travis, "Go ahead and take a seat. I'll find some music for you tomorrow, for now just jump in whenever you want."

The junior looked at the empty seats. He saw Kurt staring at him, then blushing bright red and turning away. He took the empty seat next to Kurt and smiled at him. Puck felt a chill roll down his spine. This guy was bad news, he could feel it. Even after glee ended, and Finn asked him what he thought of the new kid, all he could say was, "I've got a bad feeling about him."

"Why? He seems like a pretty good guy, besides the violence thing." Finn said, glancing back at Travis. He and Kurt were still in the choir room talking. Puck shuttered. Finn raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Puck looked at him, "He just…I don't know, something's wrong with him, I know it."

"Whatever man, I'll see you tomorrow." Finn said as he left. Puck nodded, turning back to the choir room. They were still talking, but the conversation seemed to be slowing. Suddenly, Travis reached for Kurt's face, pulling the smaller boy into a kiss. Puck involuntarily growled. There was definitely something this kid wanted, and Puck wasn't going to let him have it. Travis stopped kissing Kurt and walked coolly from the room. He nodded, smirking, at Puck as he walked by to the front of the school. Puck scowled at him, and then looked back at Kurt. His fingers lingered over his lips and a slow smile crept over his lips.

Shortly thereafter, the daze snapped and Kurt saw Puck staring at him, "C-can I help you with something, Noah?"

"No." Puck said turning to leave, "Actually, yes. Be careful with that kid. I know plenty of guys like that, and all they'll do is end up hurting you."

"First of all, 'that kid' has a name, it's Travis." Kurt snapped, "Second of all, what do you care if I get hurt? You don't care about me or my feelings."

Puck sighed, "Because…glee really needs you. Anyways, just be careful, alright?"

"I think I can take care of myself perfectly fine Noah." Kurt said walking passed Puck as he left. Puck sighed. Kurt was right, what did he care if Kurt got hurt? He was just some pansy. But he knew Kurt wasn't just some pansy. Kurt was something Travis wanted, probably because he was pure and innocent. Kurt was something Travis wanted and Puck couldn't let him have it.

The next morning, the hallways were buzzing even more then they were yesterday. Puck ignored it, getting his Spanish book from his locker. Suddenly, the whispers ceased, and the hallway was completely silent except for the footsteps of two people. Puck closed his locker to see Travis walking with his arm around Kurt. As they walked by Travis smirked and nodded, while Kurt smiled smugly. Puck frowned. It was so wrong. Travis worked fast, Puck had to work faster. Puck walked to science first period. Outside of the classroom, Travis was kissing Kurt. Puck 'accidently' bumped into him on his way in, "Oh, sorry man."

"Not a problem." Travis smiled. He turned to Kurt, "See you later babe."

"Bye," Kurt swooned as he walked away. When Travis was out of sight, Kurt turned and glared at Puck, "You did that on purpose, you homophobic prick."

"No I didn't," Puck hissed, "And I'm not homophobic, nor a prick."

"Whatever," Kurt rolled his eyes and took the seat behind Puck as always. Puck took his seat and tore a piece of paper out of a notebook. On the piece of paper he scribbled: _**Kurt, he's bad news. He's gonna hurt you, and you'll come crying back to us and I'll just say I told you so.**_

He pretended to stretch, dropping the note on the desk behind him. He heard writing and felt the note slipped into the collar of his shirt. He pulled it out and read what Kurt had written in purple glitter gel pen: _**He is nice, caring, sweet, funny, and hotter than Armani's summer line. And he's my boyfriend. He won't hurt me because he likes me and I like him.**_

Puck hissed and scribbled back angrily: _**You barely know him! You've known him like twelve hours, maybe a little more. **_

He passed it back to Kurt. He received it with the reply: _**So? Maybe it was love at first sight.**_

Puck hissed again. He wrote: _**You can't do this.**_

He got a simple response: _**Give me one good reason why.**_

Puck turned around and whispered harshly, "Because you will get hurt, and I don't want to see that happen to you."

"Noah Puckerman, turn around and stop talking." The teacher scolded. Puck sighed and shrunk down in his chair. When class was over, he bolted out, not wanting to hear Kurt's reaction. He avoided Kurt all day as much as he possibly could. And now as he walked to glee with Finn, he couldn't bear the thought of being trapped in the choir room with those two for even ten minutes.

As they walked in, Puck saw Kurt leaning on Travis. The images looked so wrong, some punkass kid with a little gay boy swooning for him in his lap. Travis locked eyes with Puck. He kissed Kurt and stood up, "Puck, could I have a word? We won't be long Mr. Schuester."

Puck reluctantly went into the hallway with Travis. The junior looked at him, "So I heard you were talking shit about me to my boyfriend."

"Don't call him that." Puck growled in a hushed tone.

"What? My boyfriend?" Travis smirked, "You've got the hots for him don't you, this Burt or Kris or-"

"His name is Kurt, you asshole." Puck pushed him.

Travis grinned, "What does it matter what his name is? He's pure, innocent, and desperate beyond belief. And you can tell him anything you want about me, but who's he going to believe, his loving, caring boyfriend, or the homophobic jock that's antagonized him since forever?"

Puck scowled, "You are a sick son of a bitch."

Travis pushed him into the wall. Puck swung and hit a hard right hook into his face. He jumped on Travis and pounded him as hard as he could. He heaved as he threw punches, "You…sick…bastard!"

By then, the glee clubbers could hear what was going on. Mr. Schuester and Finn pulled Puck off of Travis, who retreated to Kurt. Puck spat at him, "You're a horrible, horrible motherfucker."

"Puck! You need to leave!" Mr. Schuester yelled, pulling him outside. When they were outside, Mr. Schue looked at him, "Puck, what's wrong with you? This is the sixth or seventh fight this year. This isn't good."

"It's him. He's going to hurt Kurt, Mr. Schue, he is." Puck looked at the doors, "I have to stop him."

"You need to go home. Come back to glee when you're not going to hurt anyone." Mr. Schuester said. He walked back into the school, leaving Puck outside with his agonizing thoughts. He got into his car and laid his head on the steering wheel. He wasn't going to be able to stop this. He sat in the parking lot and thought about how he wasn't going to be able to protect Kurt from that monster. When glee was dismissed, he saw everyone come out of the school. His gut wrenched when he saw Kurt and Travis holding hands walking out together. Maybe Travis was right, maybe Puck had the hots for Kurt. He shook his head and drove off angrily.

Puck watched for a month as Travis and Kurt dominated the school. Each passing day the helplessness he felt grew with each sad glance he gave to Kurt and the longing grew inside of him. Rumors flew about the power couple and the things they had done with each other. Puck carelessly ignored them. Even Finn had given into their spell. One day as they were walking to Spanish, Finn said, "I know you don't like him, but you got to admit that it's pretty cool how he can be gay with the gayest kid in school and still have everyone eating out of the palm of his hand."

Puck just signed and blew it off like everything anyone had said to him in the last month. HE left glee club early every day, faking illness or appointments, but truthfully would sit in his car and wait. Wait for them to be dismissed, to see Travis and Kurt came out together, and then drive away in disgust, sadness, and anger. Today was the same. He'd left glee for his stomach flu, and was awaiting the dismissal of the group. Finally, members of the club started to come out and go home. Travis and Kurt, though, did not; at least not when they usually came out. When they did appear, they were yelling at each other. Puck watched as they yelled back and forth, before Travis grabbed Kurt's arm. He was gripping it tight, Puck could tell, because now Kurt was crying. Travis slapped him across the face. Kurt's emotions subdued and Travis kissed him awkwardly before marching to his car. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that Kurt followed with his head down like a scorned puppy. Puck's insides shriveled and withered away as he realized that this probably wasn't the first time they'd had this sort of exchange.

Puck drove home slowly, thinking about what he had seen. He walked into his house in a zombie state. He passed his mother without answering any of her questions about the day. He just went to his room and lied in his bed. He looked up at the ceiling loudly, so loudly that his mom came into his room to check on him. He sat up and looked around, "Sorry mom, I…I've just had a really bad day."

She nodded suspiciously, "Alright…just don't do that again. You scared your sister."

Puck nodded and waited for her to leave. He found a piece of paper and scribbled down a note for Kurt. He handed the paper to Kurt the next morning on his way into science. It had read:_** I saw what he did to you. If I don't hear from you by the end of the day, I'm calling the cops for you.**_

He heard Kurt sigh, but he did not receive a note back. In fact, he didn't talk to Kurt all day. He hoped Kurt would let him call the cops. He would've called them anyways, but he wanted to make sure Kurt was okay with it. It sounded stupid, but he actually cared, so so much. They only had glee club left and he could call the police, call anyone, and make it okay. Save Kurt from the monster, and take the beautiful boy in his own arms. But as he walked into glee, Kurt stood up.

"Puck, I need to talk to you." Travis tugged Kurt's hand. Kurt looked at him, "Three minutes, that's all."

Travis eyed Puck, and then let Kurt's hand go. Kurt smiled, a cover up smile, then went into the hallway. As soon as the door closed, Kurt pulled Puck around the corner. His eyes started to tear, "Puck, you can't call the cops. Travis has already been to juvie twice for domestic abuse. He said if he goes again, he'll blame me, even if I'm not the one who tells. And you know there is nowhere to hide in this dead end town. Plus…I need him. Please don't tell, Puck, please."

Puck opened his mouth as if to argue, but he couldn't. Not with Kurt. He barely whispered out, "Okay."

Kurt smiled as the tears accidently slipped from his eyes. Puck reached out and wiped the tears from Kurt's face. "Thank you, Puck."

Puck stroked Kurt's face, indulging in the feel of Kurt's pale smooth skin. Kurt didn't object, actually closed his eyes and rested his face in Puck's hand. Puck sighed and closed his eyes, "Kurt, I think I'm falling for you."

Puck heard the door open and he pulled his hands away from Kurt's face. Kurt's eyes flickered sadness as he cleared his throat, "We'll be right there."

Kurt smoothed his clothes and gave Puck a weak smile before returning to the choir room. Puck did like he always did and stuffed his sorrow and love away inside his chest and returned to give a half-ass effort throughout the whole practice. Kurt would glance over at him, and they would look sadly at each other until something broke their gaze. Mr. Schuester excused them early for the day and Puck went to his car to scream.

Another sorrowful month passed, and the hurt only grew for Puck. He was sitting in science thinking of ways he could kill Travis with his pen, when the teacher announced a new project. Everyone groaned, and the teacher rolled her eyes, "Yea yea yea, whatever. I'm letting you pick you own partners, so be thankful."

Santana looked at him, "Partners?"

"Back off Santana, he's mine." Kurt called from behind. Puck turned around to face him. Kurt smiled sadly, "If that's alright with you."

"Fine by me." Puck said, a small light of hope igniting inside of him. Santana looked to Brittney instead, and everyone was happy. Except Travis.

"I have to go to Puck's after school for our science project." Kurt told him as they finished up glee.

Travis scowled at Puck, "I don't think so."

"Travis, I have to, it's a major portion of my grade." Kurt argued. He looked at Puck who was waiting patiently for Kurt.

"How do I know that asshole won't pull any of the crap he did when I first came here?" Travis asked rather loudly. Puck's fists clenched and he had to restrain himself from hurting Travis.

"Baby, you've got nothing to worry about you. I only have eyes for you." Kurt pleaded. Travis sighed and nodded. Kurt smiled and kissed him, "Thank you, I love you."

Kurt saw Puck as his face got even sadder, if that was possible. They walked out to Puck's car. When they were both in, Kurt sighed. "I don't love him. In fact, I don't like him at all. I think I hate him."

"But you need him?" Puck asked rhetorically.

"I do." Kurt whimpered, "He makes me feel strong and powerful. He makes me feel popular. You don't know what it's like to be a loser, people like you. Ever since we started this relationship, people notice me and talk about me. I'm a diva, I need that. I need him."

Kurt had started crying. Puck sighed, "Don't cry, it already hurts too much."

They pulled into his driveway and Puck hugged Kurt until he stopped. When he had, they went to Puck's room and tried putting together an idea for a project. Most of the time they spent staring sadly at each other. It was like there was an invisible line between them that neither wanted to cross. Finally, Puck crawled next to Kurt and took him in his arms. Kurt laid leaning against Puck who was leaning on the foot of his bed. They didn't say anything; just let the world melt away for a few hours.

Nothing got better from there. The next month went completely downhill. Rumors swirled that Travis had taken up smoking, came to school both drunk and high, and was cheating on Kurt with most of the Cheerios. Kurt had also taken to showing as little skin as possible, albeit with long sleeves, turtlenecks, scarves, and gloves. Puck knew the rumors were probably true, and knew that the change of fashion was a horrible sign. Their project had been finished so Puck and Kurt rarely got to speak, let alone be together. The only time they had together were classes, and they couldn't do or discuss anything in these classes.

One day, during science, the announcements came on for winter formal. Kurt poked Puck with his pencil, slipping him a note. It read: _**Are you going?**_

He handed it back with a sad two letter answer. Kurt wrote back: _**Why?**_

Puck sighed. He wrote: _**Because I love you. And going with anyone else would just be a big lie.**_

Kurt scribbled back: _**I think you should go.**_

Puck sighed again, knowing that now his heart would force him to go. He had to go, because Kurt said to. He scribbled on the piece of paper: _**Do you **__**want**__** me to go? **_

_**Yes**_, the note read, _**I want you to be there so much.**_

He sighed, exhaling out loud, "Okay. I'll be there."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for waiting. Lotta shit going on on the homefront. Let me know if you still love me :3

**Chapter 2**

**You need him  
I could be him  
I could be an accident but I'm still trying.  
That's more than I can say for him.  
**

"Noah? Noah!" His mother called his name as he pushed the food on his plate around. He looked up, and then looked back down. She sighed, "Puck, I'm worried about you. What's wrong?"

Puck sighed, "Nothing is wrong Mom."

She sighed again, "You seem so…withdrawn lately. You don't eat, you barely sleep, you never go out, you don't go to Finn's or invite him over. All you do on weekdays is go straight to school and come straight home. On weekends you stay home all day, you don't even go out at night. Something has got to be up."

Puck wanted to say that if he went out, there was a slight chance he would run into Kurt somewhere, and he couldn't handle that. If he went out, he had to pretend he was happy or having a good time. He couldn't hang out with Finn because Finn was so damn happy all the time, and it only made him feel more depressed. He resorted to staying home because it was the only safe space he could mourn at without acquisition. Puck shrugged, "I've been busy. School stuff."

His mom looked at him, "Are you seeing someone Noah? Maybe that would get you out of this…thing."

"No." Puck stated.

She looked at him sideways, "Aren't there any parties you could go to or something? Something social?"

"I'm going to winter formal Friday, Mom, just…" Puck stood up, "Just drop it, okay? I'm fine."

He went to his room and sat on the floor where he had sat with Kurt the days he had come over for their science project. He did this every night before he went to bed, and he felt himself get worse and worse every day. He was a shell of his former self; his psyche and deteriorated from strong and self sufficient to depressed and lovesick. Friday was three days away. He already had a low key suit to wear hanging in his closet and had arranged to take a family friend who was a freshman at McKinley. He crawled into bed and wished he could sleep until Friday. He couldn't. At school the next day, they announced the girls and guys up for winter king and queen.

"Last but not least, nominated for winter formal queen is…Kurt Hummel!" They announced on the intercom. Everyone turned to congratulate Kurt. He was beaming, smiling, and thanking everyone for their well wishing. Puck saw what Kurt meant. He was thriving on the acceptance and adoration of his peers around him. Puck frowned.

The next two days were slow and horrible. Each day dragged on longer then the day before it, and Puck couldn't stand it. Each day Puck saw Kurt fake his happiness, at least until someone mentioned how much they adored him. Then Puck could see the genuine joy in his eyes as people cared about how he felt, what he did, or what he wore. Puck wished Kurt could be like that all the time. But the novelty of the affection wore off fast, and Kurt returned back into the pseudo-happiness. That's when Puck would sigh and sank deeper into his depression.

Finally, Friday rolled around. The entire school was in a fuss putting together last minute things and voting. The nominees paraded around in white sashes. Puck smiled a little when he saw Kurt's, but scowled when he saw Travis right behind him. In science, Kurt was paid attention by everyone in class. They had a free work day, so everyone came by his desk to wish him back, to say they couldn't wait to see him win tonight. There was no time or opportunity for Puck to pass him notes, so Puck had to sit on the sidelines and watch every other person in the class issue him love and support. But, when the bell did ring, Kurt caught Puck's sleeve. "Noah! You'll be there tonight, won't you?"

"Of course." Puck said, even though he had no real reason to go, besides Kurt telling him to.

Kurt smiled and kissed the palm of his hand, putting it between Puck's two hands. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

They went on through the rest of the day not saying anything. Mr. Schuester cancelled glee because of complaints about needing time to get ready for winter formal. Kurt waved to them all, "Bye guys! I'll see you tonight."

He smiled straight at Puck before Travis dragged him out of the choir room. Finn elbowed Puck, "So, you going tonight?"

"Yea. With Kayla, Kayla Goldstein. My mom and her mom are close and she wanted to go." Puck rolled his eyes.

Finn nodded, "Oh cool. So I'll see you there."

"Who are you going with?" Puck asked.

"Um…Santana." Finn sighed, "Ms. Sylvester sort of threatened me…"

"Okay then. I'll see you there." Puck said. He couldn't care less about Finn right now. He loved his best friend and everything, but he loved Kurt even more. He had countless dreams about Kurt dumping Travis in front of everyone, then running straight into Puck's arms. He knew this was probably a long ways away from anything that would happen, but a boy could dream, couldn't he? Puck went home and showered, cleaning himself up for the night. He got dressed and was about to leave when his mom stopped him.

"Noah! My beautiful baby boy!" His mom hugged him, "I'm so happy."

"Okay Mom, let go." He pried her off. "I'll be home by midnight…or something."

"Have fun." She beamed at him. He shook his head as he walked to his car. He drove to Kayla's house and picked her up. She looked nice, but Puck didn't even give her a second glance. When they got there, the two split up; Kayla to find her real friend, Puck retreating to the corner. He scanned the crowd of people there. He didn't spot Kurt, and it made sense for the wonderful boy to have the urge to be fashionably late. When he did strut through the doors, the noise in the gym seemed to lower slightly, the shock of the crowd dampening the conversations that had been going on. He was alone.

Puck's heart skipped a beat. What the hell is going on? He thought to himself. Kurt looked around like this was the norm, spotted Mercedes and immediately started dancing with her. People generally went back to their friends, but Puck knew everyone's minds were on Kurt. The boy made his rounds through the crowd, dancing with Mercedes, then Tina, then the other nominees for queen. He went about as if nothing was wrong, as if he wasn't missing the guy who had catapulted him to instant high school royalty. The night went on and there was no sign of Travis. Puck couldn't bring himself to approach Kurt, just watched as he got down with all the girls on the dance floor. But pretty soon they stopped playing dance music and switched to slow songs. All the girls reverted back to their dates. Kurt slipped off the dance floor and watched as everyone danced intimately. From across the gym, Puck could tell Kurt was losing his grip on his emotions. His eyes were welling, and his lips quivered. Finally, it was too much for Kurt to take. He slipped out a side exit.

Puck knew this moment was wrong, he could feel it. He went out the exit that Kurt had gone out. He saw the boy sitting on one of the many planters outside the gym. Puck sat next to him, "So, where is your boy tonight?"

Kurt shrugged. His eyes were now blank and sad. "I don't know."

They sat in silence until Puck moved closer and put his arm around the smaller boy. Then Kurt burst tears. Puck tried calming him, but Kurt was too upset. "Puck, you were so right. He hurt me so much. I should've listened to you! I can't believe he did this to me. You were so right. He's a monster!"

Puck stroked his hair to the slow music fading from the guys. When Kurt calmed down, he sighed, "He was cheating on me. He'd tell me to get rid of my dad, then he'd come get me and he'd smell like Santana or Brittney or one of the other school whores. He came over drunk, he came over high, he came over horny. I don't know which one was the worst."

Puck bit his lip, not sure if he wanted to know the answers to the question. "So…then you two actually…"

Kurt nodded solemnly. Puck's heart broke even more. He had always had that tiny speck of hope inside of him that said Kurt wouldn't let that bastard take his purity. But now, that speck was diminished, and he felt horrid.

Kurt took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve. Bruises of all shapes and sizes were spread over the pale beautiful skin. "Like I said, drunk, high, and horny is not good to say no too. Especially when he's all three."

Puck was infuriated by the bruises. He picked up Kurt's arm, running his fingers over it lightly. Kurt flinched and Puck wanted to scream. Instead, he kissed the bruise. He kissed all the bruises exposed on Kurt's arm, and Kurt tried smiling. Puck looked at him, "Did he…force you…to do anything?"

"Well," He put his head down and whispered, "I don't think you want to hear this."

Puck raised Kurt's head with a finger and looked him in the eyes, "Kurt, please, tell me."

Kurt sighed, "At first…it was sort of consensual. I wanted to wait, but I sort of caved. But after the first couple of times…I just didn't want to. But I sort of caved. But after the first couple of times…I stopped trying to argue. I stopped trying to put up a fight or say no, because I knew it would just end up with more bruises or cuts or burns. I just waited for him to be down so he could leave my house, and get away from me."

Puck hissed. The hand that wasn't holding Kurt's arm clenched into a fist. Kurt teared up a little, "See, I told you you wouldn't want to hear it."

Puck exhaled. He stood up, walking slowly to the wall of the gym. He punched it full force, feeling the sting of the wall against his knuckles. He punched it again, harder. He felt the blood start to dribble slowly from his knuckles. Kurt whispered, "Noah, please."

"I'm sorry." Puck said, retreating back to his seat next Kurt.

Kurt took his hand and wiped the blood from his fingers, "Don't apologize. You are the last person who should be apologizing."

He sighed, "I just…I lo-"

"Don't say it." Kurt interrupted, "Don't say the 'L' word. Three months ago, that's all I wanted to hear. But since then, I've said it and heard it so much, it isn't even special anymore. I want it to mean something."

"Okay, fine," Puck sighed, "I really like you, Kurt. You're charismatic, funny, charming, and…you've just seemed to have this power over me the past few months."

Kurt smiled weakly. I seemed as if he'd heard it all before. Puck sighed, then picked up Kurt's bruised arm. "This isn't acceptable. Having someone, anyone, hurt you like this…it's not okay."

Kurt nodded, "I can't do it anymore. I can't be what he wants, I won't do what he wants, and I'm not taking any more of his bullshit."

"Good." Puck smiled, "I'm proud of you."

"Yea," Kurt's face turned fearful, "But what happens Monday when he sees me? He knows all my weak spots, he knows how to make me hurt. What if he hurts me, Noah? He's going to hurt me!"

Puck looked at him. "Hey, look at me. I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe. He won't hurt you anymore."

"Okay then." Kurt whispered. He rolled his sleeve down, then looked at Puck. When Puck looked back, Kurt pecked his lips quickly. Puck looked awestruck at Kurt. Kurt leaned in to kiss him again, letting it last a couple seconds longer then the first. He pulled away and smiled a little bit, "Thanks, Noah."

"Any time," Puck breathed. Kurt kissed him again. The music stopped in the gym and they were making an announcement. Puck whispered, "I think that's your cue."

Kurt smiled and put his jacket back on. He straightened up his clothes. "How do I look?"

"Great. Go knock 'em dead." Puck smiled. Kurt hugged him and went inside. Puck took a couple seconds to process what happened before he rejoined the school in the gym. As he entered, he saw Principal Figgins awkwardly trying to get the microphone to work.

"Alrighty, now that we've fixed our microphone. Let us announce the winter formal queen and king." He opened an envelope. "The winter formal queen is…Kurt Hummel?"

Everyone applauded loudly and Mercedes and Tina went crazy. Puck was so happy to see Kurt up there. He was crowned and given a sash and flowers. He was beaming with pride. He whispered something to Principal Figgins. The principal shrugged, said something back, and walked off stage. Kurt stepped up to the mic. "Hey everyone thanks so much for voting for me. It really means a lot. We're gonna mix it up here a little bit. DJ, play my music!"

All of a sudden, Single Ladies blared through the gym. Kurt scurried down to the dance floor where he led everyone in an attempt to recreate Beyonce's dance moves. Puck laughed as he remembered learning those steps and working it out on the football field. He wondered why it took him so long to fall for Kurt in the first place. He watched Kurt the rest of the night, occasionally being pulled onto the dance floor by a glee clubber or football player. But he preferred watching Kurt do his thing, and his thing was to entertain everyone around him. Finally, the night started to die down. Puck's date went home with a friend, so he was just sticking around until Kurt left. Kurt stayed the longest, and he and Puck were the last two people.

"You need a ride?" Puck offered.

Kurt shook his head, "I've got my car."

"Then I'll walk you out." Puck smiled. They walked together to the student parking lot, making small talk about the decorations of the dance.

When they got to Kurt's car, he sighed, "Maybe you can come over tomorrow. We could talk."

"Sounds great." Puck said eagerly.

Kurt smiled, "I'll call you."

"I'll be waiting by the phone. Literally," Puck smiled. Kurt hugged him. They looked at each other, unsure what to do next. Kurt settled with a quick kiss on the lips and said his goodbye. He drove off, leaving Puck smiling and laughing wildly into the night. He practically skipped to his car, and when he got home, he could barely get any rest with all the endorphins swirling around his head. The next morning, bright and early, Puck got up to sit by the phone. It rang around nine thirty, and he picked it up on the first ring, "Hello?"

"Stay the hell away from my boyfriend. Or you'll both pay."

The line went dead. Puck hurriedly dialed Kurt's number. When Kurt picked up the phone, Puck asked, "Kurt, are you okay? Is everything alright?"

"Yea I'm fine." Kurt said uneasily, "Actually, I'm not. My dad's going to work soon, could you try to get over before he leaves?"

"I'll be there in five." Puck said, hanging up and grabbing his keys.

His mom saw him, "Where you going, Noah?"

"Out." He rushed out the door and drove off as fast as he could to where Kurt lived. Luckily, when he got there, Kurt's dad was still home. Puck was greeted by Mr. Hummel at the door.

"Hey…you must be, um, Noah." Kurt's dad said.

"Noah, or Puck. Kurt told you about me?" Puck asked, his stomach doing flips.

Kurt's dad nodded, "Not much. But a lot these passed couple weeks. And I heard about what you did last night. Frankly, I'm glad cut his ties with that Travis kid. He was not good, I could tell. He didn't seem like a real good kid."

Puck nodded, "My thoughts exactly."

"Well, look, I think Kurt likes you, but that's just me. Be good to him. And please be respectful in my home while I'm gone." Mr. Hummel said, a grave tone flickering in his voice.

Puck nodded, "We're just friends, Mr. Hummel. As much as it pains me to say this, we're just friends. And I would never disrespect you, your house, and most definitely would never disrespect your son."

He nodded, "Good. You're a good kid. Kurt, Puck's here!"

"I'll be right up!" Kurt's voice came from downstairs. Puck took a step into the house. Kurt appeared, and grabbed Puck in a hug. Puck hugged back, resting his head on Kurt's.

Kurt's dad cleared his throat. "Well, uh, I'm gonna head to work. I'll be back around two or so. Maybe later, I don't know."

Kurt smiled at him, "Okay Dad."

Kurt's dad left and Kurt pulled Puck downstairs to his basement bedroom. He bit his lip. "I have something to ask of you. You can say no."

"I'll never say no to you." Puck said, "What do you need?"

Kurt tossed him a camera. "I need evidence. I'm thinking of filing a case against…him. I need pictures."

Kurt slowly took off his turtle neck. His torso was covered in bruises and finger grip marks, including a hand bruised into his neck. Puck was focused intently on this particular bruise. The bruise enveloped Kurt's neck in the size of a hand. Kurt put his hand on his neck and turned away. Puck turned away and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Kurt sighed. Puck turned around and saw Kurt remove his socks and pants. The bruises didn't stop, reaching all the way down to his shins. Kurt closed his eyes and opened his arms. He whispered, "Take the picture."

Reluctantly, Puck raised the camera and took a snapshot of the sad soul in front of him. Kurt turned around and Puck took another picture of the bruises on his back. Puck was drawn to hand grip bruises on Kurt's delicate hips and thought of what Kurt had said, about saying no to someone. He choked back tears and rage and kept his intense emotions inside. Puck turned around, "Okay. I'm done. Just…"

"Oh. Oh. Okay you can turn around now." Puck looked to see that Kurt had slipped on red football mesh shorts and a grey tee. He sighed, "It feels so good to let my skin breathe a little. Noah, don't me that look."

He hadn't realized the sadness he felt had taken over his facial features. He was looking morosely at Kurt's bruised neck and frowning. He shook his head. "Sorry, I just can't help it."

"It's okay. I'm going to have to get used to it eventually." Kurt shrugged.

Puck put down the camera, "Bruises fade."

"Yea, but memories don't." Kurt gazed off. A whole array of emotions flickered across his eyes. He shook his head, "I can't do it. I can't go back. What if I go back to what I was before? What if I'm even worse then before? Instead of being just a loser, I'll be a mentally scarred, physically abused, has-been loser."

Puck picked up Kurt's arm and stroked it carefully. "Is this worth it? Is this pain worth all the attention?"

Kurt looked into Puck's eyes. He didn't answer, he couldn't answer. Puck's mouth opened like he was going to say something, but he couldn't find the words. He just stared in disbelief at Kurt. Kurt's eyes welled with tears. He spoke slowly and softly. "You don't understand. Being popular…is a high. It's the best high I've ever felt. And I realize highs come with lows. And these are my lows."

"Kurt this is abuse." Puck cried.

"Highs come with lows," Kurt wiped a tear from his eye, "The pain I feel with these lows is nothing compared to the high I feel when people are looking at me, talking about me, caring about me!"

"You shouldn't _have_ to feel pain to feel joy!" Puck's voice got higher as Kurt's did, "You should be able to feel that high without any repercussions."

"Well it doesn't work that way! No pain, no gain, right?" Kurt cried.

Puck took a deep breath. Tears actually came from his eyes, which rarely happened. "I'm not going to yell at you. I'm not going to tell you what's right, what's wrong. I'm not going to tell you how to feel. But I am gonna say this. You shouldn't have to look to others to give you that crazy good feeling. You should be able to look at the person with their arm around you and their smile, their laugh, their adoration for you, should make you feel ten times better then anything anyone could say about you. They should make you feel good about yourself. They should be the one person you are able to trust with your heart, and they should trust their heart to you. They shouldn't put you down, force you to do anything , or hurt you. In fact, they should be the one protecting you from all harm, because if anything were to happen to you, they wouldn't be able to live with themselves knowing they could've stopped it. Knowing they could've stopped it before it even started."

Kurt shook his head, "You couldn't have stopped this from happening."

"I could've and I didn't." Puck sighed shakily, "I caused this. If I would've stopped it, none of this would've happened. I hurt you!"

"You didn't hurt me." Kurt said softly.

"I did this to you!" Puck looked at Kurt's neck.

Kurt pulled Puck's face to his and kissed him. His tears trickled slowly down his nose to Puck's and dripped down Puck's face. He pulled Puck's face away and held him so they were looking into each other's eyes. Kurt was crying again, "You did not hurt me! If anything, this entire ordeal has lead me to you. The abuse, the relationship from hell, it all led us to this moment. Quite frankly, I don't regret any minute, because every minute led me to you!"

Puck let a few more tears roll down his cheeks. He said softly, "I love you, Kurt Hummel."

Kurt let out a sniffle, which led to a sob, and Puck could only hold him close and hope that it would ease the pain, even if it was just for the moment.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so so so so so so sorry this took so long. I still love you guys just as much as I ever have. Read. Review. Here's a link to a playlist where you can hear the songs I've mentioned in case you don't listen to them religiously like me:) .com/playlist/20193060619 pay attention to the lyrics! I chose them for a reason.

**Where is your boy tonight?  
I hope he is a gentleman.  
Maybe he won't find out what I know  
You were the last good thing about this part of town.**

Puck looked over at Kurt. He was trying to detect any anxiety that the other boy had. When the nervous squirming started, Puck nudged him, "Hey."

"Hey," Kurt breathed out absentmindedly.

Puck took Kurt's hands. He squeezed it gently. "It's gonna be fine."

They pulled into the student parking lot. Puck got out and went to the passenger side. He opened the door for Kurt. Kurt bit his lip. Puck sighed, "It's okay. Remember? We are strong, we are beautiful, we are the best parts of this sad town. We are the brain, the beauty, and the class of Lima, okay?"

Kurt giggled a little. He pulled Puck by the shirt into the car, kissing the taller boy. When he finished, he sighed, "Okay. I guess I'm ready. Ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, good, come on." Puck pulled him out of the car, taking his hand. "Come on, say it with me. We are strong, we are beautiful, we are-"

Kurt laughed at him, "This is the happiest I've seen you in a long time."

"I could say the same for you." Puck said to him. Puck looked at the school doors, than at Kurt, "You ready?"

Kurt didn't respond. Instead, he let go of Puck's hand, pushed the door open, and forced his entrance into the hallway. All talking stopped and the hallway was deathly quiet as they walked together down the hall. Kurt smiled kindly at the other kids, and they seemed to loosen up a bit. Puck whispered, "See, everyone's still looking at you."

The murmurs started then. People whispered to each other and phones shot out of pockets faster than the speed of light. The sounds of shocked whispers and fingers moving over shrunken keyboards fueled Kurt's flame. He stood up taller, walked with his head higher, and even gave out confident smiles to a select few in the hall. He smiled at Puck, "Can we go talk to Mercedes? We've got a few minutes."

"Of course, you lead the way." Puck smiled back. Kurt took Puck's hand and took him to where Mercedes hang out. The whispering grew louder as their hands met and Puck couldn't help but smile excitedly. Months of watching and wishing led to his and he couldn't be happier.

They arrived at Mercedes locker. She looked at their hands, at her phone, then at Kurt, "So it's true?"

Kurt shrugged. "It's kind of complicated. But no more Travis."

Puck sort of frowned at the first thing he said, but he shrugged it off. Mercedes hugged Kurt, "How'd it happen? Wait, tell me second period. I have to tell Puck something before the bell rings."

She motioned for Puck to step back with her. He did so, still holding Kurt's hand. Mercedes whispered, "Travis is prowling. Twitter reports said so and I saw him that morning. And he doesn't look happy. Just heads up."

"Thank you Mercedes, you don't know how much that means." Puck whispered back to her.

"No problem." She said. The bell rang so she hugged Kurt. "By sweet thing, see you second period. Bye Puck."

They parted ways and Kurt poked Puck, "What did Mercedes say? What did you guys talk about?"

"We talked about how beautiful you are." Puck winked. Kurt sighed but smiled anyways. Until they turned the corner. Standing outside their first period class was the monster.

"Oh my god." Kurt's eyes got wide and he stutter-stepped, "No. No no no no no. Oh my god no. I can't-"

"Hey hey calm down. We can do this. Just look away, take out your phone and pretend you're texting." Puck said. Kurt took out his phone shakily and pretended to look at it. Puck put an arm around the smaller boy and led him to the classroom.

"Kurt. Kurt, we need to talk," Travis said. Puck ushered him through the doorway where he was safe. Travis pushed Puck, "What do you think you're doing, asswipe?"

Puck took a deep breath and decided the best idea would be to not say anything at all. So Puck turned and walked into the classroom where Kurt was shaking, "Did he hurt you?"

"No, didn't even feel it." Puck smiled. Kurt hugged him as the second bell rang for them to sit down. Puck sat in his regular seat, between Santana and Jacob.

Kurt stood next to Jacob and smiled kindly, "Jacob, would you mind letting me sit here for today?"

"S-sure. The queen bee gets what she wants. Would you care to confirm my story that you and Travis are indeed over?" Jacob said, pushing up his glasses. Jacob was the resident gossip mill of McKinley High.

Kurt sighed, "It's over. Seat, please?"

Jacob pulled out his phone and typed a quick message. He closed his phone and got up from the seat, "It's all yours."

Kurt sat down next to Puck as the teacher started yelling for the class to settle down. Puck whispered, "You didn't have to tell him if you didn't want to."

"He might as well hear it directly from the source." Kurt shrugged. The teacher said something about a movie and the lights went off. A movie about basic cell function started to play on the smallish TV set. Kurt leaned over to rest his head on Puck's shoulder. When the bell rang, the light came back on. Jacob leaned over and tapped them both.

"Has our queen found another prince already? " He asked, phone at the ready.

"No comment on that one Jacob, sorry." Kurt said, leaving the super nerd disappointed. He typed something as he walked away. Kurt sighed, "Now what?"

Puck smiled, "Now I walk you to second period."

They went into the halls and the crowd parted for them. Puck sighed, "So I'm not in this class with you, but Mercedes is. Stick with her, and when passing period comes, stay in the room until I can come and get you. You gonna be okay?"

They arrived without any sight of Travis. Kurt sighed, "I hope so."

"Okay, I'll see you in fifty minutes." Puck said as he turned to leave.

"Hey." Kurt stopped him. He turned and received a kiss on the cheek, "Be careful. Be safe. Stay out of trouble."

Puck smiled, nodded, and kissed Kurt's forehead. He set off for his next class, which he would probably be late too. The hallways were emptying as kids found their classrooms and the bell rang for class to start. As Puck turned the corner to his math class, he heard his name called. He didn't acknowledge the speaker until it grabbed him and pulled him aside. Travis was scowling down at him, "Hey, I was talking to you asshole."

Puck got loose and continued to his class. It was only steps away, but he was grabbed again and slammed against a wall. Travis snarled, "What did I say about you screwing with my boyfriend?"

"He's not your boyfriend anymore." Puck spat. Travis punched him hard in the face leaving a faint taste of blood in Puck's mouth.

"We'll see about that." Travis growled. He hit Puck again and left him. Puck shook it off, making those last few steps to the classroom.

"Noah Puckerman, late again-oh my, what happened? Here, here's a pass to the nurse." The teacher handed him a blue slip and ushered him back into the hall. Instead of reporting to the nurse, he went to sit outside Kurt's class.

When class finally ended, Puck let a few kids leave before he pushed into the class. Kurt smiled, "That was fast…oh my god what happened?"

"Ran into Travis on the way to class." He said, wincing as he reached up to feel his eye.

Mercedes looked really pissed off. Puck guessed Kurt had probably told her everything. "First Kurt, now you, that boy is straight up crazy. He needs a good ass whooping from your girl right here."

"No Mercedes, it's going to get taken care of. Puck and I just need to stay away from him until glee." Kurt said to her. He turned his attention to Puck, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." Puck said, still trying to flush the blood taste out of his mouth. "Let's get to our next class."

The rest of the day went off without another encounter. They moved around a lot at lunch so as not to be caught in one place, they took new routes to classes, and made sure to get to glee before Travis did. Puck took the seat next to Kurt, "So why did we need to get here first? And what did you mean earlier when you said we had to stay away from him until glee?"

"You'll see." Kurt said, running a hand across his perfectly manicured bangs. Puck dropped it, not wanting to push the subject too far. Mercedes came in and sat on the other side of Kurt and they had Tina sit behind him. They made sure he was covered so there was no way anything could happen to him. When they saw Travis come in, Kurt grabbed for Puck's hand and squeezed it tight.

Travis walked to them and stood tall in front of Kurt's seat. He folded his arms, "Kurt, may I have a word with you in the hallway."

"No. I mean…I'm a little busy at the moment." Kurt said softly. Travis' hands clenched together and Puck was ready to stand up to face him. Luckily, Mr. Schuester issued them to settle in and warm up their voices. Puck noticed Kurt glancing up at the clock every five seconds and wondered what was going on. When the clock struck three, Kurt stopped singing and squeezed Puck's hand tightly.

Right then, the door opened and three policemen came into the room. Everyone stopped and looked around. The lead policeman looked at Travis, "Travis Connolly?"

"Yes?" He eyed them. The room fell quiet, then he made the connection. Looking from them to Kurt, he frowned, "Oh no. Oh no, you stupid stupid bitch."

Kurt whimpered a little and shrank into Puck's side. The policeman grabbed Travis, "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have-"

"I know! I fucking know!" He screamed at them. He looked at Kurt, "You're a liar."

The policeman pulled him out of the room. Mr. Schuester looked around bewildered, like the rest of the glee clubbers. He sat down, "I think we're done for today."

Kurt was the first to stand and leave the room. Puck followed him to the hallway where he was hyperventilating, "Oh…my…god…I…he…kill me…he'll…kill me."

"Hey, hey, calm down," Puck hugged him and rubbed his back, "He's not coming anywhere near you. Ever again."

Mercedes came out and hugged Kurt too. Tears were in her eyes, "Bastard deserved what he got. Did you call the cops on him? Oh Kurt I'm so glad you did."

Kurt finally calmed down enough to breathe evenly. He sighed, "Puck, could you take me home? I have to talk to my dad."

"Does he know?" Mercedes asked. Kurt shook his head solemnly. Mercedes sighed, "Well good luck little mama, you might need it. If you need to talk, I'm only a phone call away."

Kurt hugged her goodbye before he took Puck's arm and made Puck lead the way out. Puck looked at him, "I'm really proud of you Kurt. You're so strong, to be able to call the police on him like that. You are so brave."

"I'm terrified. I won't be able to sleep tonight." Kurt said as they approached Puck's car. Puck opened the passenger door for him then moved to his side.

When he got into the car, he smiled, "You can be brave and terrified. And if you can't sleep, you call me and I'll sing you to sleep."

"That's very sweet." Kurt said. They drove in silence to Kurt's house. When they got there, Kurt touched Puck's arms, "Could you…stay? Just while I tell my dad. I can't do this alone."

Puck looked at the house and nodded silently. They got out of the car and Kurt let them into the house. Kurt called nervously, "Dad?"

"In here." They followed the sounds of clamoring pots to the kitchen where Kurt's dad was busying around the room. "Hey Kurt. Hey, Puck! How are you? How was school?"

Kurt swallowed and said again, "Dad."

"Yes, son?" His dad said, "Oh by the way we might have to run to the shop later, you think-"

"Dad." Kurt rubbed his arm.

Kurt's dad kept putting stuff away, "I thought maybe Puck might want to-"

"Daddy." Kurt whispered softly.

Kurt's dad stopped in his tracks, putting down the plates he had in his hands. He turned to Kurt, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I think we need to sit down." Kurt said softly, holding back his anxiety and the tears beating against his eyes.

They sat down at the kitchen table, the three of them. Kurt took Puck's hand under the table and squeezed it. "Travis was arrested in glee today. I…I had him arrested. Daddy, there's something I need to show you."

Kurt's dad looked puzzled from Kurt to Puck. Kurt let go of Puck's hand and stood up. Puck swallowed hard and looked away as Kurt reached for his jacket. He unbuttoned it and pulled it off. Mr. Hummel's hand went to his mouth as Kurt shed his jacket exposing his bruised and burned arms. Kurt looked at his dad as tears silently rolled down his cheeks. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a sob came out. Kurt's dad jumped up and hugged him, "It's okay Kurt, I gotcha. My boy, my boy, how could I let this happen? How could I let this happen to my only little boy?"

"It wasn't your fault Dad. It wasn't your fault," Kurt cried. "I was stupid and naïve. But I called the police. Daddy, it's going to be okay now, right? I did it. Aren't you proud of me?"

"I've always been proud of you, Kurt. I love you more than anything thing in the entire world." Kurt's dad hugged him hard, "Kurt, you are the most important thing, you are the only thing I have. When someone hurt's you, they hurt me too."

He pulled away and looked at Kurt, "I love you Kurt. You know that right? I love you and don't you ever forget that."

The phone rang and Puck stood up to get it, but Kurt's dad waved him off. "It's alright Puck, I got it. Kurt, why don't you, um, change. I'll be right back."

"We'll be downstairs." Kurt said picking up his clothes and nodded to Puck. Puck looked bashfully at Kurt's dad, who nodded approvingly. They went downstairs to Kurt's room where Puck sat in the spinning white chair. He spun around mindlessly as Kurt put on a new top, a maroon colored thermal with a Marc Jacobs splattered tee shirt. When he finished, he sighed and looked at Puck with his clear, sad eyes.

Puck got up and hugged the smaller boy, "What's wrong?"

"I'm tired. I want it to be over. I want it to go back to normal already." Kurt sighed, hugging Puck back, "I just want to open my eyes and hope this was one big horrible dream."

Puck sighed, "Yea, just a horrible dream…"

"Not you, oh god, not you! I didn't mean it that way Noah." Kurt said frantically.

Puck shook his head, "No I know what you meant."

"Good." Kurt sighed. He kissed Puck softly. "You are the best thing that's happened to me since…Lady Gaga."

"Gaga?" Puck laughed. Kurt giggled and hugged his head to Puck's chest.

Kurt's dad knocked as he descended the stairs into the basement. "That was the city court person. They want us to go down and sign some paperwork and stuff like that in an hour. I don't know if you wanted to join, Puck…"

Kurt looked up at Puck. Puck shrugged, "As long as it's okay with Kurt. I'm always here to support him."

Kurt nodded at Puck, then at his dad. His dad nodded, "Alright. Okay. Well you should call home; tell someone where you are and where you'll be. We'll leave in about half an hour. I'm just gonna run down to the shop and let them know I won't be in. Be back in twenty minutes."

"Bye Mr. Hummel." Puck waved respectfully.

"Bye Dad." Kurt called to his dad. He turned to Puck, "What do you want to do?"

"Anything you want." Puck smiled, "Have anything in mind?"

Kurt giggled softly, "No…it's stupid. I mean, y'know way back when you sang to Rachael? And you played guitar, it was just…really sweet. I don't know, if you think it's stupid…"

"Not at all." Puck smiled. He thought about it, "But I don't have me guitar with me. Do you have one here?"

Kurt thought, "Um. Yea, let me get it for you."

He ran upstairs and returned with an old acoustic guitar. Kurt shrugged, "Sorry if it's out of tune, it was my dad's. He used to play it for my mom, but…he hasn't played in a while."

"You sure it's okay?" Puck said, taking the guitar. Kurt nodded, so Puck started to tune the guitar. "Do you have a song in mind?"

Kurt sat on his bed, legs crossed, "Surprise me."

"Okay, I'll give it a shot." Puck positioned the guitar. He started to play the acoustic version of 'Everlong' by Foo Fighters. He sang the tune softly, taking turns looking from his fingers to Kurt's eyes. They were bright and sparkling with amusement, and he sat captivated like a small child.

When he finished, Kurt applauded. "That was amazing Noah! Could you do another one please?"

"Sure. Let me think." He thought to himself, muttering, "Let's see if I can do this one right."

He came up with a melody that sounded vaguely familiar. Then he looked straight into Kurt's eyes and sang 'Paparazzi' . Kurt was jubilant. He sang along with the choruses and laughed quietly. When Puck finished, Kurt was laughing and applauding like mad, "That was the best thing ever! Come here!"

Kurt reached over and pulled him down. He kissed Puck sweetly before letting him go. Puck smiled, and Kurt smiled back, "Play another one?"

"Okay. Hm." He racked his brain for a girly love song. Instead, he strummed the sad melody of 'I Miss You' by Blink 182. Kurt's face went soft as Puck sang the lyrics with heart and emotions. Then he looked on passed Puck, but Puck kept playing anyway.

When he finished, he raised an eyebrow at Kurt, "What, you didn't like that one?"

Applause came, but from behind him. He spun on his heel to see Mr. Hummel. Kurt's dad smiled, "That was really good. Is that my guitar?"

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry Mr. Hummel." Puck reached the guitar out. "I'm sorry I should've-"

Mr. Hummel waved him off. "No, it's okay. I'm just surprised it still plays. You're really good, Puck. We have a little time, would you mind if I listened in on another song?"

Puck took the guitar back in his arms, "Um, sure. Do you have anything in mind?"

He sat down next to Kurt, who looked a little embarrassed. He shook his head. Puck sighed and nodded, thinking of another song. He decided to go simple after all and he started to play 'Hey There, Delilah' by The Plain White T's. When he finished, they both applauded him. He took a bow and placed the guitar on Kurt's bed. Kurt smiled, "Thanks Noah."

"You boys ready to go there?" Mr. Hummel asked. They nodded and followed him outside. They decided to all ride in one car and Puck could come back to get his car later.

When they got to city hall, a woman ushered them into a room with a few people. Kurt nodded at the female lawyer and she introduced herself as Kurt's lawyer, and introduced the two other people in the room. One was a district attorney and the other was a judge. They all sat and the district attorney opened a file and read aloud, "In the case of Kurt Hummel vs. Travis Connolly, Mr. Connolly has plead guilty to all of charges listed. Charges are as followed: assault, battery, and rape."

"Rape?" Kurt's dad exclaimed in shock and anger. He looked at Kurt, who nodded solemnly. Mr. Hummel stood up and walked away from the table a few steps.

"Mr. Hummel, please." The judge scolded him. She turned back to the lawyer, "Continue."

"Just awaiting a sentence, your honor." The district attorney closed the file.

The judge opened the file placed in front of her. "Does the plaintiff have any bargains or concerns?"

Kurt looked at his lawyer and she nodded, "We'd like to see Mr. Connolly tried as an adult. We'd also like to note his past conflicts with the law when deciding a sentencing."

The judge nodded at the file in front of her. "Alright, taking into consideration past offenses and the age of Mr. Connolly, my sentence would call for thirteen years at Dayton County Facility for Men with no bail or parole. If both parties consent, we won't have to take this to court."

"Sounds fair." The district attorney nodded, looking across the table at the other lawyer.

Kurt's lawyer looked at him. He looked at his dad, who was holding back tears. He looked at the judge, "Could we make it fourteen?"

The judge shrugged, "As long as their consensus from both sides."

Both lawyers nodded and the judged nodded. "Alright, sentence stands at fourteen years at Dayton County Facility for Men with no bail or parole. Have him moved immediately. Thanks for coming in folks, have a wonderful rest of the day."

They were released from the room and the three of them looked at each other silently. There wasn't much to say, so Mr. Hummel said, "You know what we should do? How about we go get some ice cream?"

It was just so absurd and so perfect, they had to laugh. It was the first time Kurt had genuinely laughed in a long while and if felt good to share it with Puck and his dad.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for sticking with me in the long run. Read. Review. Message. Stay Tuned.

**Chapter 4: The End.**

**Someday I'll appreciate in value, get off my ass and call you...**  
**but in the meantime I'll sport my**  
**brand new fashion of waking up with pants off at four in the afternoon.**

**You need him. I could be him...**  
**I Could be an accident but I'm still trying.**  
**And That's more than I can say for him.**

"Oh God, he's waiting in the parking lot." Kurt said, turning away. Standing with a recorder and note pad at the ready was Jacob, waiting for their arrival.

Puck stopped him, holding him, "Hey if you don't want to talk about it with anyone, you don't have to."

"No, I don't want rumors to start about this. I just want everyone to know the truth. It was what it was, but it's over now." Kurt looked at Jacob, "But I can't do it. Noah, you have to."

Puck looked at Kurt, "How? What am I supposed to say?"

"You know what happened. Confirm what's true, tell them what's not. And if you don't know, say you can neither confirm nor deny." Kurt looked at him pleadingly, "Please? For me?"

"Yea, anything for you." Puck sighed. Kurt thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. He put sunglasses over his eyes and took Puck's arm. They turned to walk passed Jacob, but they were stopped immediately.

"Kurt, question." Jacob said.

Puck looked at him, "Mr. Hummel can't speak to… you right now, but as his…rep, I can try to answer some of the questions you may have."

Jacob sighed, "I guess a source is better than no source. Is it true that Travis was arrested for charges of rape and battery?"

"This is true." Puck nodded, still shielding Kurt from Jacob.

Jacob thrust the recorder closer, "Is it true that Kurt was the one who pressed these charges against Travis?"

Puck looked back at Kurt. His sunglasses covered his eyes and only his mouth twitched, leaving no room to interpret. "Yes. Kurt did press the charges."

"Could you give us an idea of his sentencing?" Jacob asked, scrawling something on his notepad.

Puck sighed, "He got fourteen years without bail or parole. Are we almost done?"

"Last question." Jacob pushed his glasses further up his nose, "Are you and Kurt an item?"

Puck looked at Kurt again. Again, there was no change in his expression. Puck sighed, "I can neither confirm nor deny. No more questions."

"Wait, just one more." Jacob started to ask.

Puck scowled, "I said no more questions. Now go inform your little following. Go on, go!"

Jacob slid the notepad into his backpack and pulled his phone from his pocket. He typed rapidly as Puck turned to Kurt, "Come on, let's go."

They walked in relative peace to the front of the school. They opened the door of the hallway. All of a sudden, ringtones and vibrating rang out in the hall. Kurt took a deep breath as everyone checked their phones. There were selective gasps and shocked whispers. Kurt pulled Puck's arm to go forward. They passed through the hall silently as the rest of the student body read their phones then looked sympathetically at Kurt. When the first period bell finally rang, it pierced through the silent sorrow in the halls. They were in first period when the outpouring came.

First, it was Santana, with Brittney trailing behind. She waved her phone as she spoke, "Um…we heard about what happened and we're both really sorry. If you ever need help or something…I don't know, I don't normally do this…"

"It's okay Santana, I think I got it." Kurt smiled forgivingly at them, "Thanks for trying."

The rest of the day was filled with people saying they were 'sorry to hear what was going on' and 'if you ever need anything' they would be there for Kurt. Puck knew that most of these people were only saying this because they didn't know what else to say. But Kurt accepted all graciously, listening to what everyone wanted to say to him. This made the day seem extremely long, even down to glee practice. Puck felt like the second hand on the clock was moving backwards just to bother him. Finally, Mr. Schuester let them out because he thought they needed a break.

As they walked to Puck's car, Kurt sighed, "You know what I've been thinking about all day?"

"What?" Puck asked.

"I was just wondering," Kurt looked at his feet, "This morning, when Jacob asked about us…you said you couldn't confirm or deny. Why?"

Puck nodded, "Well what would you have said?"

Kurt thought about it, "Good point."

"Yea," Puck said, "I just want what you want. If you're not ready, I totally understand. If you want me to wait, I'll wait for you. If you don't want me to wait…I don't know. If you want me to just leave you alone, I guess I will. Whatever you need to be happy, that's what I'll do for you."

Kurt looked at his fingers. He traced a small cut over one of his fingers. "I don't know what I want Noah."

"And that's okay with me." Puck nodded.

Kurt traced the creases in his fingers. "Is it horrible that…I sort of miss him?"

Puck grimaced. Maybe it wasn't his position, but he couldn't understand why Kurt would miss such a terrible excuse for a human being. The thought of him made Puck sick. But he nodded, "I guess it's natural for you to…"

"God I hate him so much!" Kurt cried out, "But…he was my first everything. My first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first…and my stupid heart…my stupid heart doesn't know how to just let go!"

Puck didn't respond, didn't move, he didn't know how to react. Kurt grimaced, "And it's like…the way I feel when I'm around you, I can still remember when I felt that way about him. And part of me…when I hear everyone saying his name it's like I still feel that initial l-love I had for him. Damn it."

Puck sighed, "It's okay. It'll go away…eventually."

"Will it?" Kurt looked at him sadly.

Puck hugged him close, "We'll get you help. We'll make it okay again, okay? We can do it…we can make it alright."

Kurt didn't respond, just let more tears fall in Puck's shoulders, closed his eyes and hoped to God Puck was right.

**If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship please seek help from a trusted adult or one of the resources below:**

**National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (US) | 1-866-331-9474 | 1-866-331-8453 TTY**


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